


Reluctant Savior

by clgfanfic



Category: War of the Worlds (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-19
Updated: 2013-02-19
Packaged: 2017-11-29 19:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/690651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clgfanfic/pseuds/clgfanfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Debi saves the day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reluctant Savior

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in the zine Green Floating Weirdness under the pen name Gillian Holt. Based on the real-life adventures of CLG and JNN over July 4th weekend, 1991, Tucson, Arizona… Sigh…

_"But there were too many… bosoms… leaking…"_

 

          Debi sat in the overstuffed recliner, her arms folded across her chest and a defiant pout fixed to her face.  Across the room she could hear snatches of the subdued conversation.

          The colonel:  "…security…"

          Harrison:  "…disaster!"

          Mom:  "…emergency…"

          Norton:  "…If I'd listened…"

          The colonel:  "…contact… security…"

          Debi sighed.  _Next time I'll just let the whole house melt_ , she thought.  _It wasn't like I called out the National Guard!_   She closed her eyes and fought back the tears.  What was she supposed to do?  The colonel, Harrison, and her mother were off doing whatever it is they do when they go off to do it, and Norton wasn't paying any attention to her, just his dumb old computer…

          Was it _her_ fault it was raining?

Was it _her_ fault that she was trapped in the house they were staying at in Tucson?

Was it _her_ fault that the stupid house leaked?

_No!_

          If the fuse box hadn't been making all those weird popping and hissing sounds…  If Norton had just come out from his room to listen to them…  If the ceiling hadn't started sprouting stalaga-thinges…  And, if the paint on the walls hadn't started melting, creating a white waterfall right there on the wall, she _never_ would have done it.

          How could she have known it would turn out like this?

And what was the big deal, anyway?

          The adults broke up, and moved slowly back in her direction.  Debi took a deep breath and steeled herself for the worst:  Adoption.  They'd get rid of her for sure…

          There was a knock at the door, interrupting the impending disaster.  Sergeant Stravrakos stepped in, pausing a moment to give Debi a wink.  "Sir, the firemen are gone and the gawkers are going home.  Coleman's found a hotel not too far away that'll hold all of us until we can make other arrangements."

          "Thank you, Sergeant," Ironhorse said, nodding that the man could leave.

          With the reprieve ended, Debi found herself surrounded by the four Project adults.  "Debi," the colonel said.  "I want you to start at the beginning and tell us exactly what happened."

The twelve-year-old sighed heavily.  "Okay," she conceded.

The adults took seats on the couch, the colonel opting for the floor near the snapping fireplace.  With the lights off, the burning logs cast the only light into the dark room.

          "Well…" she began hesitantly.  "You were all gone, and Norton was working and it was raining, real hard."

          "Harder than I realized," Norton added.

          "I was hungry, so I went in to get something…" Debi said, shifting uncomfortably.  "That's when I found all the water on the kitchen floor.  It was _flooded_.  And the walls were melting and the ceiling was growing…"  She trailed off, not finding the right word.

          "Bosoms," Harrison supplied, immediately focusing the attention of the other adults on him.

          "Excuse me?" Suzanne questioned.

          Blackwood blushed slightly.  "Well, they do sort of look like a ladies'…"

          Norton snickered.

          "Blackwood," Ironhorse growled lowly.  He looked back to Debi.  "Go on, we know what you mean."

          "Well, I went in and told Norton."

          Ironhorse, Blackwood and Suzanne looked to the hacker.  "She did," he admitted guiltily.  "She said it was raining and the kitchen was leaking."

          "And?" Ironhorse prompted him.

          "I told her to put a bowl under the drip," he said.

          The group turned back to Debi.  She blushed slightly.  "But there were too many… bosoms… leaking, so I took all the towels from the bathrooms and tried to cover the floor.  That's when I saw the wall was melting."

          Blackwood fought back a grin.  "Sounds like something out of a B-science fiction film, don't you think?"

          Ironhorse ignored the comment.  "So you investigated?"

          Debi nodded.  "The paint was sort of sliding down in folds.  I wanted to touch it, but when I got closer that's when I heard noise from the fuse box."

          "And she told me about that, too," Norton explained.  "But I was right in the middle of our chase, so I wasn't real clear on the details."

          "I see," Ironhorse said, staring thoughtfully at the floor.  "Then what happened?"

          "Norton told me to do what I thought was best," the girl said.

          "Which was?" Suzanne asked her daughter.

          "Well, I know that it's dangerous to have water and electricity together.  Harrison told me about that."

          Blackwood nodded happily.  "Absolutely right, Debi."

          "Well, I wasn't sure if all those noises were good, and Norton was busy, so I thought if I called the fire department they could tell me."

          "You called 911?" Harrison asked.

Debi shook her head emphatically.  "No, I didn't!  I looked in the phone book and they had a number for the fire department information line.  I called _them!_ "

          "What did they say?" Suzanne asked.

          "Well, they didn't answer right away, but when someone finally did I told them what was happening and they said it might be a short in the fuse box.  They asked me where I lived."

          "And?" Ironhorse asked.

          "I told them I didn't know," Debi answered truthfully.

          The adults chortled.

          "That's it?" Harrison questioned.

          Debi nodded.  "They said okay, and told me not to touch the fuse box.  Then they hung up."  She folded her arms back over her chest.  "I guess the fire trucks got her about five minutes later.  They had the sirens going and everything.  There were a lot of trucks."

          A small smile split the colonel's face.  "They traced the number since Deb didn't have the address."

          " _They_ turned off the power."

          Norton grinned, too.  "Which put me out of business, but you already had the problem—"

          "Neutralized," Blackwood supplied.  He was smiling, too.

          "Well," Suzanne announced, "It sounds like you did a fine job, Chicken."

          Debi looked up at her mother.  Why wasn't she mad?  "I did?"

          "Absolutely," Ironhorse answered for Suzanne.  "The firemen explained that there was a short, but it wasn't dangerous.  The owners will have to have an electrician take a look at the fuse box before they turn the power back on, but it should be fine.  Good job, Deb."

          Disbelief settled on the girl's face.

          "That was a very smart move, too," Blackwood told her.  "Calling the information line.  My guess is they had the number transferred to the dispatcher since it was after normal business hours."

          "You— You're not mad at me?" Debi asked.

          "Mad?" Suzanne asked.  "Why would we be mad?  You acted very responsibly."

          "But, what about security, and disasters, and all that?" she asked, looking back to the colonel.

          He shrugged.  "We'll have to get someplace else to stay since they're going to have to make repairs here," he looked at the girl.  "Your actions guaranteed the safely _and_ security of Norton and yourself.  I'm proud of you."

          Debi smiled tentatively.  They seemed to be telling the truth.  Adults… who could figure them out?


End file.
